Twelfth Night; or, What You Will

By William Shakespeare and John Philip Kemble

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Twelfth Night; or, What You Will" by William Shakespeare, John Philip Kemble. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

• Language: English
• Publisher: DigiCat
• Release date: Sep 4, 2022
• ISBN: 8596547238065

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is arguably the most famous playwright to ever live. Born in England, he attended grammar school but did not study at a university. In the 1590s, Shakespeare worked as partner and performer at the London-based acting company, the King’s Men. His earliest plays were Henry VI and Richard III, both based on the historical figures. During his career, Shakespeare produced nearly 40 plays that reached multiple countries and cultures. Some of his most notable titles include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar. His acclaimed catalog earned him the title of the world’s greatest dramatist.

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William Shakespeare, John Philip Kemble

Twelfth Night; or, What You Will

EAN 8596547238065

DigiCat, 2022

Contact: [e-mail]

Table of Contents

ACT THE FIRST.

ACT THE SECOND.

ACT THE THIRD.

ACT THE FOURTH.

ACT THE FIFTH.

ACT THE FIRST.

Table of Contents

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SCENE I.

The Sea-coast.

Enter

Viola

,

Roberto

, and two Sailors, carrying a Trunk.

Vio. What country, friends, is this?

Rob. This is Illyria, lady.

Vio. And what should I do in Illyria?

My brother he is in Elysium.

Perchance, he is not drown'd:—What think you, sailors?

Rob. It is perchance, that you yourself were saved.

Vio. O my poor brother! and so, perchance may he be.

Rob. True, madam; and, to comfort you with chance,

Assure yourself, after our ship did split,

When you, and that poor number saved with you,

Hung on our driving boat, I saw your brother,

Most provident in peril, bind himself

(Courage and hope both teaching him the practice)

To a strong mast, that lived upon the sea;

Where, like Arion on the dolphin's back,

I saw him hold acquaintance with the waves,

So long as I could see.

Vio. Mine own escape unfoldeth to my hope,

Whereto thy speech serves for authority,

The like of him. Know'st thou this country?

Rob. Ay, madam, well; for I was bred and born,

Not three hours travel from this very place.

Vio. Who governs here?

Rob. A noble duke, in nature, As in his name.

Vio. What is his name?

Rob. Orsino.

Vio. Orsino!—I have heard my father name him:

He was a bachelor then.

Rob. And so is now,

Or was so very late: for but a month

Ago I went from hence; and then 'twas fresh

In murmur, (as, you know, what great ones do,

The less will prattle of,) that he did seek

The love of fair Olivia.

Vio. What is she?

Rob. A virtuous maid, the daughter of a count

That died some twelvemonth since; then leaving her

In the protection of his son, her brother,

Who shortly also died: for whose dear love,

They say, she hath abjured the company

And sight of men.

Vio. Oh, that I served that lady!

And might not be deliver'd to the world,

Till I had made mine own occasion mellow,

What my estate is!

Rob. That were hard to compass;

Because she will admit no kind of suit,

No, not the duke's.

Vio. There is a fair behaviour in thee, captain;

And, I believe, thou hast a mind that suits

With this thy fair and outward character.

I pray thee, and I'll pay thee bounteously,

Conceal me what I am; and be my aid

For such disguise as, haply, shall become

The form of my intent. I'll serve this duke;

Thou shalt present me as a page unto him,

Of gentle breeding, and my name, Cesario:—

That trunk, the reliques of my sea-drown'd brother,

Will furnish man's apparel to my need:—

It may be worth thy pains: for I can sing,

And speak to him in many sorts of music,

That will allow me very worth his service.

What else may hap, to time I will commit;

Only shape thou thy silence to my wit.

Rob. Be you his page, and I your mute will be;

When my tongue blabs, then let mine eyes not see!

Vio. I thank thee:—Lead me on.

[Exeunt.

---

SCENE II.

A Room in

Duke Orsino's

Palace.

The Duke discovered, seated, and attended by

Curio

, and Gentlemen.

Duke. [Music.] If music be the food of love, play on,

Give me excess of it; that, surfeiting,

The appetite may sicken, and so die.——

[Music.] That strain again;—it had a dying fall:

O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet south,

That breathes upon a bank of violets,

Stealing, and giving odours.—

[Music.] Enough; no more; [He rises.

'Tis not so sweet now, as it was before.

Cur. Will you go hunt, my lord?

Duke. What, Curio?

Cur. The hart.

Duke. Why, so I do, the noblest that I have:

O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first,

Methought, she purged the air of pestilence;

That instant was I turn'd into a hart;

And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds,

E'er since pursue me.

Enter

Valentine

.

How now? what news from my Olivia?—speak.

Val. So please my lord, I might not be admitted;

But from her handmaid do return this answer;

The element itself, till seven years heat,

Shall not behold her face at ample view;

But, like a cloistress, she will veiled walk,

And water once a day her chamber round

With eye-offending brine: all this, to season

A brother's dead love, which she would keep fresh,

And lasting, in her sad remembrance.

Duke. O, she, that hath a heart of that fine frame,

To pay this debt of love but to a brother,

How will she love, when the rich golden shaft

Hath kill'd the flock of all affections else

That live in her!—

Away before me to sweet beds of flowers;

Love-thoughts lie rich, when canopied with bowers.

[Exeunt.

---

SCENE III.

A Room in

Olivia's

House.

Enter

Maria

and

Sir Toby Belch

.

Sir To. What a plague means my niece, to